Alice Through The Ages
by The Bespectacled Nerd
Summary: They've lost both parents, in one way or another. They've lost their loves. They've lost each other. But there was always one constant in Jade and Artemis's lives.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Young Justice._

* * *

Sitting on Mom's lap was different now, with her belly swollen by the new baby, but Jade didn't really care. She still curled up there every night and listened to Mom's stories. They were always different. Some were stories of Mom's childhood in Vietnam, and the adventures she, her brother, and her sisters would have. Some were stories of magical worlds full of strange or scary creatures. Tonight was different. Tonight the story came from a book instead of Mom's mind.

"I have a story I know you girls will love," Paula said, holding the book in one hand and wrapping her other arm around Jade.

"Can she hear you in there, Mommy?" Jade asked.

"She can," Paula said. And she spoke the truth. At seven months along, her new daughter, who she still didn't have a name for, could certainly hear her and Jade talking.

"Wow," Jade said, her wide eyes filled with awe. Her curiosity satisfied, she settled back into her mother's embrace to listen to her story. Paula opened the book and began to read.

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'

"So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her."

* * *

Jade lay next to her sister on the bed. Artemis's head rested in the crook of her left arm, while her right hand held open an old, time-worn book.

"Down, down, down. Would the fall _never_ come to an end! 'I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. 'I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think –'"

Jade was nowhere near as good at story-telling as Mom, but Mom was gone, and she would stay gone for a long time. Down, down, down. That was the only direction left. Mom and Dad had fallen down, down, down, dragging her along with them. Her, and probably Artemis next.

Slowly, Artemis drifted off to sleep, soothed by her sister's voice. But Jade wasn't ready to slip away to her own bed yet. She stayed there, stroking her little sister's hair until she herself fell asleep.

The next night, Jade picked up the book and tucked it into her duffle bag. She couldn't leave it behind, and it was only a little bit of extra weight. She gritted her teeth, willing herself to ignore her baby sister's pleading as she turned away, walked out the door, and disappeared, like the Cheshire Cat.

* * *

Jade had never given too much thought to being a mother. For the longest time, she'd been sure she would never have kids. Her life was just too dangerous, and if she'd learned anything from her parents, it was that family life didn't mix well with her line of work. Still, she'd gotten married, and now, at seven months along, there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted this baby, even if she had to raise the kid by herself.

Sitting on the bed of the motel room she was currently lying low in, she pulled her knees up as close to her chest as she could manage, and propped the book against them.

"The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice."

"'Who are _you_?' said the Caterpillar.

"This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I– I hardly know, sir, just at present– at least I know who I _was_ when I woke up this morning, but I think I must have changed several times since then.'

"'What do you mean by that?' said the Caterpillar sternly. 'Explain yourself!'

"'I can't explain _myself_, I'm afraid, sir' said Alice, 'because I'm not myself, you see.'

"'I don't see,' said the Caterpillar.

"'I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly,' Alice replied very politely, 'for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.'"

It was Jade's favorite part of the story. Jade, too, knew who she was before, but had changed so many times she found it hard to keep track. The little girl of seventeen years ago, hearing this story for the first time, seemed so recent, yet so distant at the same time, as did the lost and lonely teenager who'd been cold-hearted enough to leave her own sister behind.

The baby kicked. It was almost as though the baby knew how Jade felt and was trying to reassure her, in its own, wordless way. Jade grinned. This was going to be a tough kid, she could tell.

* * *

Artemis was running out of ideas. She'd been in a lot of crazy situations before, but calming down a restless five-year-old was not exactly her area of expertise. Suddenly, a plan hit her.

"Lian," she said. "Do you want to hear a story?"

Lian stopped in her tracks and turned to face her aunt, nodding. Artemis went to the shelf and grabbed the book. The book, like the two sisters who loved it, had survived a lot. The cover was worn, the corners of pages were in danger of falling off from being dog-eared so many times, and many pages had small tears or markings on them. Despite its time-worn appearance, they had vowed never to get rid of the book.

Artemis sat on the couch next to Lian, cuddling up next to her niece. She opened the book and began to read.

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'

"So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her."


End file.
